Improvement in bee-hives



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Bee Hive. No. 53,785. Patented April 10, 1866.

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Bee Hive.

Patented April 10,1866;-

Inventor:

Witnesses:

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

JAMES B. CHILD, OF LEE CENTRE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,785, dated April 10, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. CHILD, of Lee Centre, in the county of Lee and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Bee Hive; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. in which- Figure 1, Sheet No. 1, is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line 90 00, Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a side view of one of the boxes pertaining to the same; Fig. 3, Sheet No.2, is a vertical section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a detached view of two of the bars by which the boxes are raised; Fig. 5, a plan or top view of one of the boxes.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in an improvement in that class of bee-hives which are made with a series of boxes placed within a suitable case and arranged with lifting-bars in such a manner that the boxes will be capable of being adj usted so that they may be successively filled with honey, and when filled cut off or separated from the others, whereby several advantages are obtained, as will be hereinafter set forth.

My said improvement consists in a peculiar combination and arrangement of the crossbars and lifting-bars, whereby the comb-boxes may be lifted with greater ease and less disturbance than under the usual mode of construction.

A represents a case of quadrilateral form, and provided at one side with a door, 13, and with a suitable bee-entrance, O, at the bottom. Within this case A there are placed a series of boxes,D, three being represented in the drawin g and placed one over the other. These boxes are separated by slides E, as they are open at top and bottom, and they are provided with comb-frames F, composed each of three horizontal bars a a a, the ends of which are connected by uprights b, and the top bars, a, being sufficiently long that their ends may fit in recesses in the upper edges of the boxes and support the frames therein parallel with each other and at a proper distance apart. (See Figs. 1, 3, and 5.) The upper bars, a, are flush with the upper edges of the boxes, and the lower bars, a, flush with the lower edges thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Each box D has two recesses, c 0, made in two opposite sides, and at the corresponding inner sides of the case A there are two vertical bars, G G, the lower parts of which have spring catches H attached to them, said catches, by their own elasticity, having a tendency to fit into the recesses c in the sides of the lower box D in the case A, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 3.

The bars G G extend up through the top of the case A, and are connected at their upper ends above the case at each side of the same by a bar, I, and these bars are connected by a cross-bar, I. One of the bars G at each side of the case is provided with a sprin g-catch, J. (See Fig. 4.)

The bees always work in the lower box D, the slide E between the lower and central boxes cutting off communication above. When this lower box is filled it is removed from the lower part of the case A as follows: The uppermost box D is drawn out from the case, and the bar I is grasped by the operator and drawn upward, and the bars G G, being connected to the lower box in consequence of the springcatches H being in the recesses c c, the two lower boxes will be raised within the case, the bars G G being drawn upward until the springcatches J pass out through the openings in the top of the case, so that said catches may hold the bars and the two boxes connected or suspended to them. The upper box, which was previously withdrawn, is now inserted in the bottom of the case underneath the filled one, the bars G G shoved down so that the catches El may engage with the lower box, which,when filled, is raised, as in the preceding instance, and so on until all the boxes are filled.

This invention is attended with the following advantages: The bees always have new or fresh comb, which is very essential. It facilitates the hatching of the queen and can ses it to be larger, stronger, and healthier; less danger from the destructive moth; and, lastly, the swarms may be divided with great facility, as the filled boxes may, at the proper time, be placed in other hives, and without any danger of the operator being stung.

By having the comb-frames F constructed with a central bar, a, as described, the bees are prevented from connecting the combs of one frame with those of the adjoining ones, as the distance is so short from the top bars, a, to the central bars, c,that they will not increase the thickness of the comb before it reaches the latter. When the comb is brought down to a they will commence to build underneath the latter down to a. I t maks no difference what guides are employed for bees to start from in building their combs, they will almost invariably bring them in contact by increasing their thickness if suficient vertical space or depth be allowed them to do so. This contingency is fully obviated by the central bars, (0.

JAMES B. CHILD.

Witnesses CHAS. D. BADGER, SABIN TROWBRIDGE. 

